National Teacher of the Year speaks to UMass JET, TEACH students

DARTMOUTH — In April 2009, Anthony Mullen had the honor of personally meeting President Obama who presented him with the award for 2009 National Teacher of the Year in the White House rose garden.

However, in recalling the experience for local teachers gathered at the UMass Dartmouth Woodland Commons last week, he re-told the story with great humor and humility.

“The title of Teacher of the Year really should come with a disclaimer because it implies something I'm not — the nation's best teacher,” Mullen said.

His audience might well beg to differ.

Organizers of the event — the Journey into Education and Teaching (JET) program — said in a press release that Mullen's story greatly resonated with many in the crowd. As a career changer — a former New York City police officer who decided to go into teaching — Mullen's experience touched a chord with students in JET which helps paraprofessionals go back to college and gain their teaching licenses in elementary and special education.

Students in the TEACH! programs were also present — people who chose to leave past jobs in hopes of making a difference by entering urban schools.

To become a teacher, Mullen (now a special education teacher) had to balance work, full-time classes and a family until he was able to earn his diploma and teaching license. Well aware of what it takes to become a teacher, he told his audience: Don't give up.

He also urged educators to truly get to know and understand their students. “Each and every student arrives at (our) door with a unique, intriguing and incomplete story. The very good teachers know how to script confidence on the blank pages of that story.”

Mullen went on to say that if students are the future, then teachers must help guide them to want to build a better one. He noted that the drop out rate is the greatest issue in American education and solving it is vital to saving the economy; “If we continue to lose 1 million students each and every year, we will not survive as a nation. That is how important the role of the teacher is today”.

After speaking and responding to questions, Mullen helped honor local educators who mentor new teachers in the TEACH! Programs. As JET program director Pam Herrup put it, “our purpose here today also is to celebrate all educators in the room and recognize those teachers in particular who have taken on leadership roles such as supervising practitioners, mentors and college/ university adjunct faculty.”

Journey into Education and Teaching (JET) is funded by a US Department of Education Transition to Teaching grant; JET is administered through the Center of University, School and Community Partnerships (CUSP) at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and is overseen by CUSP executive director Karen O'Connor.

For more information about JET or CUSP please visit http://www.umassd.edu/cusp/ or call (774)-929-3032 to speak with program director Pam Herrup.